CD Reviews CRAIG BAILEY – TIM ARMACOST BROOKLYN BIG BAND: LIVE AT SWEET RHYTHM – Candid CCD71803. www.candidrecords.<strong>com</strong>. Long Haired Girl; Brazilian Bop; Take the Coltrane; East of Enid; Animated; Quiet Time; My Blues; Announcement Funk. PERSONNEL: Craig Bailey, alto sax, flute; Mark Gross, alto sax, flute; Tim Armacost, tenor sax, clarinet; Keith Loftis, tenor sax, flute; Mitch Frohman, tenor sax, flute; Terry Goss, baritone sax, clarinet; Riley Mullins, trumpet; Dwayne Eubanks, trumpet; Larry Gillespie, trumpet; Dave Zalud, trumpet; Jason Jackson, trombone; Dion Tucker, trombone; Mike Fahn, trombone; Johannes Pfannkuch, bass trombone; Gene Jackson, drums; David Berkman, piano; Joris Teepe, bass. By Matt Marshall Recorded at Manhattan’s Sweet Rhythm club, this big band – and big sound – set from saxophonist/clarinetist Tim Armacost and saxophonist/flutist Craig Bailey’s Brooklyn group is a lively collection of mostly original material, with Duke Ellington’s “Take the Coltrane” thrown in for good, big-band measure. Not altogether surprisingly, that Ellington number is also the freest, most experimental piece on the record, with the backings improvised and soloists offering avant-garde squawking. Bailey’s “East of Enid” follows a convincing arc from David Berkman’s nicely layered solo-piano opening through Bailey’s contemplative, resolute flute passages over swaths of orchestrated horns. Elsewhere, it’s the type of surging blues-fed horn and woodwind arrangements you’d expect from Ray Charles’ former musical director (Bailey), fired by inspired soloing and a rock-steady rhythm section. SHERYL BAILEY A New Promise – MCG <strong>Jazz</strong>, http://mcgjazz.org. Lament, East To Wes, Miekkaniemi, A New Promise, Mocha Spice, Unified Field, Carenia, You And The Night. PERSONNEL: Sheryl Bailey (guitar); The Three Rivers <strong>Jazz</strong> Orchestra co-directed by Steve Hawk and Mike Tomaro, Paul Thompson (bass), David Glover (drums), Jay Ashby (trombone), Hendrik Meurkens (vibes) By Dan Adler Sheryl Bailey is known to jazz fans in her home base of New York and all over the world as one of the best leaders of guitar organ trios. With her frequent performances at “FatCat”, “Bar Next Door” and “55 Bar”, and with five previous CD’s as a leader, she has be<strong>com</strong>e known as a “sizzling jazz guitar goddess”. But her talents go way beyond the blazing chops and guitar mastery: Bailey usually performs all original material, and also has a great reputation as an outstanding musician, teacher and clinician. This project was conceived by Bailey together with producer Marty Ashby, who had the idea of putting her in front of a full 16-piece jazz orchestra to create the kind of album not often heard these days. As Ashby states in the liner notes, this configuration gave them a wide palette to work from; from solo guitar, to screaming full-band sections with Sheryl Bailey’s guitar flying on top of it all. The wonderful big-band arrangements for the album were done by Mike Tomaro and Dr. John Wilson. The opening piece, J.J. Johnson’s “Lament”, is usually played as a ballad, but here it is presented in uptempo 3/4 time with an exciting big band arrangement. Bailey’s guitar solo is burning from the get-go, with a beautiful round tone, and melodic fresh ideas that keep <strong>com</strong>ing in rapid succession. The guitar solo gives way to a wonderful soprano solo followed by an ensemble solo before Bailey’s guitar returns to restate the melody and end with a cadenza. The arrangement is full of delightful twists and changing moods, which really make this a memorable piece. “East To West” is the first of three <strong>com</strong>positions by Emily Remler, a wonderful jazz guitarist who died all too young, but managed to leave her strong musical impression on Bailey, who starts off by playing a great improvised solo, and then, as Ashby says in the liner notes, the soli section (guitar, trombone and soprano saxophone) is a transcription of the solo Emily Remler played on the original recording. Bailey’s ability to play the passage with such grit and passion illustrates her <strong>com</strong>mitment to understanding Remler’s contribution to the jazz guitar and her desire to carry her message forward. “Miekkaniemi” is a Bailey original with a backbeat, augmented by Jay Ashby on percussion. Bailey’s solo is groovy and hot, with some quotes from Wes, Benson and Monk all blending beautifully into the big band backing. At times, this album almost sounds like a Creed Taylor CTI production from the 80’s, but the ensemble sections never sound retrofitted as they were on some of those albums, and the album remains true to the tradition of big band and jazz guitar at all times. Remler’s “Mocha Spice” has a bossa feel, with the wonderful big band arrangement punctuating Bailey’s guitar and another inspired Bailey solo, her relaxed virtuosity easily shining through the thick layers of sound created by the large ensemble backing. At times, I wished the guitar was mixed a little higher and less <strong>com</strong>pressed, but I respect the choice to make it equal with the band, as the blend is very organic. “Carenia”, the third Remler original, also has a light latin Samba feel, and it’s “Autumn Leaves”-like progression offers rich harmonic material for Bailey to bite her teeth into with a blistering fast solo, as the big band wails behind her. Another Bailey original, “Unified Field”, a modal minor burner, finds Bailey starting her solo in a laid back melodic groove, and after the band builds up the intensity, we are treated to a strong tenor solo by Eric DeFade with Bailey <strong>com</strong>ping, before she makes her way back to the solo spot and develops an intense and virtuosic solo statement of her own. The Dietz and Schwartz standard “You and the Night and the Music” opens with a masterful solo guitar intro, Bailey’s beautiful sound and relaxed swing getting the spotlight before she is joined by drummer David Glover for some inspired duo playing that seamlessly turns into the melody statement with the big band <strong>com</strong>ing in to fill the landscape. Bailey’s solo, perhaps her most inspired of this whole great session, is full of excitement and passion - each of her ideas clearly articulated, executed and developed to the fullest. James Moore follows with a great trumpet solo as the big band <strong>com</strong>es back in to build up the energy and close the session with a crescendo that would bring the house down at a live performance. It is evident that months, if not years, of preparation went into the making of this album, and the end result is a unique musical journey that sounds strong and consistent from beginning to end. As you listen to it, you will be amazed both by Bailey’s masterful solos, melody renditions and ensemble soli as well as the way in which it all blends together with the wonderful big band arrangements. DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER ELEANORA FAGAN (1917-1959): TO BILLIE WITH LOVE FROM DEE DEE – Emarcy/Decca Records. www.emarcy.<strong>com</strong>. Lady Sings the Blues; All Of Me; Good Morning Heartache; Lover Man; You’ve Changed; Miss Brown to You; Don’t Explain; Fine and Mellow; Mother’s Son-in-Law; God Bless the Child; Foggy Day; Strange Fruit PERSONNEL: Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocals; Edsel Gomez, arranger, piano; Christian McBride, bass; James Carter, saxophones, clarinet, flute; Lewis Nash, drums 68 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2010</strong> • <strong>Jazz</strong> Inside Monthly • www.jazzinsidemagazine.<strong>com</strong> To Advertise CALL: 215.887.8880
GrEGorY GENErET “(Re)Generet-ion is the work of a singer that has lived enough to understand the true depth that many of the songs he sings carry. This album is quite the feast. Everything about it is classic-from the cover art to the song choices- Caravan, Angel Eyes, How High the Moon and other great standards… (Re)Generet-ion is an album that stands at the top of it’s class.” — <strong>Jazz</strong> Inside Magazine “The arrival of a good new male vocalist on the jazz scene is a rarity. It is good, therefore, to hip you to (re)Generet-ion. The music on this album is first rate.” — Joe Lang, The New Jersey <strong>Jazz</strong> Society Coming to Joe’s Pub in NYC March 14 • www.joespub.<strong>com</strong> CDBaby.<strong>com</strong> Amazon • iTunes Produced & Arranged by Onaje Allan Gumbs For more info and up<strong>com</strong>ing performances go to www.GregoryGeneret.<strong>com</strong>
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